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What a day. We actually had some official news from the Tampa Bay Lightning posted yesterday. With Josh Archibald wandering around the Tampa area the team decided it would be a good day to announce some updated sweater numbers for the new guys on the team. Maybe we should get back to the ol’ Sweater Series to carry us through these last few weeks of hockey-less wasteland.

Conor Sheary will be the third player in franchise history to don the number 73 and the first since Adam Erne wore it in 2019.

Luke Glendenning will keep the number 11 that he wore in Dallas (he was 41 in Detroit). The last Bolt to have that number was Brian Boyle in 2017.

Calvin de Haan keeps the 44 he has worn his entire career since the number was vacated by Jan Rutta last season.

Jonas Johansson will drape the number 31 across his back, a number worn by 11 previous goaltenders in the organization. He’s flipped between 31 and 35 over the last few years while also mixing in a 34 back in his Buffalo days.

Josh Archibald brings the number 15 out of the closet. It hasn’t been seen in on a Lightning line-up sheet since 2018 when Michael Bournival wore it during his 5-game stint with the Bolts.

If any of these players are your new favorite member of the team, you can now go out and order a jersey on Fanatics and have it back in time for the start of the season (which is inching close, we promise).

Lightning / NHL News

Syracuse Crunch sign Daniel Walcott to one-year deal [Syracuse Crunch]

I was chatting with blog Auntie, Alex, about Walcott a couple of days ago and it seemed odd that we hadn’t heard much about him. The mystery of where he would play next season was solved when the Crunch announced he was coming back for another season. It’s great that the leader in games played for the franchise will be back in the city he’s come to call his own following a career season where he had 13 goals and 19 assists in 67 games. In a year that will see a lot of change in the Salt City it’s nice that there will be one constant for Syracuse (and Tampa Bay) fans.

Nick Paul continues to do it all, including getting married.

How ‘Puckdoku’ took the hockey world by storm [The Athletic]

I am so very, very bad at this game (and the baseball version, Immaculate Grid). Yet, every morning I try it and send the results to my hockey friends. To see that the creator, Tyler Dixon, also struggles is quite reassuring.

Troy Terry agrees to 7-year contract [Sportsnet]

The Anaheim Ducks locked up one of their young forwards (and avoided arbitration) as they signed Troy Terry to a 7-year, $49 million contract. Smarter people than me seem to think it’s a good deal. Anaheim is going to be fun to watch this season.

Mitchell Miller signs in Slovakia [TSN.ca]

Since Gary Bettman stated Miller is still ineligible to play in the NHL, the convicted bully is taking his talents to Slovakia. Earlier this year the Boston Bruins extracted themselves from the contract that they had signed him to last November.

Tarasenko ‘excited’ to join Senators [Toronto Star]

The 31-year-old is looking to bounce back from a bit of an off season last year. With some of the young talent around him, it could be a good spot for him to find his mojo and turn the 1-year, $5 million deal he signed with Ottawa into a big pay day next summer.

Reports emerge in Boston that David Krejci will retire from the NHL [Boston Hockey Now]

Another Bruins legend will reportedly hang up the skates (except for international duty) as Krejci will reportedly announce his retirement soon.

TAMPA — Volunteers at Moffitt Cancer Center campuses are always easy to spot, with their engine-red vests set against crisp white shirts. It’s even easier when they’re walking dogs in color-coordinated harnesses that have “Therapy Dog” embroidered into the side.

The mere sight of these dogs commands people to smile and bend to their level. And the dogs graciously receive this attention — relishing the back-to-back pets, sometimes resting their soft heads against someone’s leg or sticking out an inviting paw. They never get distracted. They rarely get tired.

Moffitt’s pet therapy program has been around for over 30 years, according to volunteer coordinator Kelsey Stewart — long enough to be referred to as the center’s “crown jewel.” The program brings certified therapy dogs to visit and comfort patients on Moffitt’s campuses.

Teddy, a tiny gray Maltipoo, was the oldest therapy dog at Moffitt’s Magnolia campus near the University of South Florida on Tuesday. At 11 years old, he still manages to stand for minutes at a time on his hind legs — searching around for rubs and cut-up Pupperoni. His owner, 76-year-old Phil Scheidt, said he probably spends a third of his time at Moffitt on those little legs.

Scheidt and Teddy drive over every Thursday from Lake Jovita to Tampa to make the rounds between visitors, staff and patients. When they arrive, volunteers are given a list of patients who requested pet therapy for the day. Typically, this is around five to 10 patients, Stewart said.

Dogs and their owners aren’t only confined to patients’ rooms. They roam hallways, offices and waiting areas. Outside of the rooms, 69-year-old Marlene Csunyo said she follows her 5-year-old Australian Labradoodle’s instincts on who to go up to and where to stop. The brown, shaggy-haired dog named Jolie will let anyone give her affection but has a soft spot for kids and people in wheelchairs.

“She doesn’t know a lot of tricks … being a lovebug, that’s her only trick,” Csunyo said.

Being a therapy dog isn’t for every canine. At Moffitt, keeping calm is key, which can be difficult in a sometimes hectic and noisy environment. The dogs can’t bark, steal food, jump on anyone or even lick, the volunteers said. For Jolie, ignoring the temptation to devour nearby food was the hardest part of becoming certified.

Alan Preston and his 8-year-old West Highland White Terrier, Finlay, have been volunteering at Moffitt campuses since 2017. In the six years since they’ve been coming, Preston estimates they’ve visited over 4,000 patients. That number gets higher after factoring in those they encounter in other areas of the center.

Around the volunteers’ necks hang tally counters to keep track of the number of interactions they have. Preston also likes to adorn his vest with pins inviting conversation, such as one tagged “Therapy Dog Dad.” The dogs also don attire like special-made badges and, in the case of Finlay and Teddy, small ties.

All of this is done in the hopes of giving someone a reason to smile while they’re there. And it works. “I’m feeling better already,” said one woman who stopped to pet Finlay.

Many of the volunteers have personal connections to Moffitt and their mission of fighting cancer. Scheidt’s late wife was a patient and volunteer there. Csunyo’s mom battled breast cancer. Last October, Preston was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and scheduled his surgery at Moffitt. After years of talking to patients, he found himself on the other side of the experience. He fought back tears talking about it.

“Coming to help people helps me,” he said.

Now, Preston is a certifier with one of Moffitt’s partners, Project Pup. He leads certification sessions at the hospital and helps funnel therapy dogs through Moffit’s program. Dogs don’t have to be certified at Moffitt to apply for the pet therapy program, and owners can get their dogs certified at Moffitt without applying to volunteer. If they decide to stick around, that’s simply a bonus, Stewart said.

The program, which once boasted over 50 dogs, is still trying to regain its footing following a decrease in volunteers due to the pandemic. Stewart’s goal is to make it “bigger and better than it’s ever been.” While Magnolia’s campus attracts the most volunteers and dogs, all of their locations — including Moffitt’s new hospital on McKinley Drive in Tampa — participate in the program. To learn more, visit Moffitt’s website.

Up next:Meet the Skyway cats and the volunteers who care for them

With Tom Brady now retired, the common perception around the NFL is that the Buccaneers quarterback situation is going to take a huge step back this year. However, not everyone is buying into that theory.

Former NFL scout Jim Monos, who worked for three different NFL teams over 13 years, thinks the Buccaneers will actually be getting an upgrade at quarterback if Baker Mayfield ends up winning the starting job. Now, Monos isn't crazy, he's not saying that Mayfield is better than Tom Brady, but he does think that the former Browns quarterback can be better than the 2022 version of Tom Brady.

During an interview on the Go Long podcast, Monos explained his reasoning.

"I just think they'll be able to do more with Mayfield because, to be honest, he's just younger and tougher right now," Monos said, via Joe Bucs Fans. "Brady was good; Brady was checked out."

Brady might not have been "checked out," but he was definitely dealing with several off-the-field issues, including his divorce from Gisele Bundchen, which was finalized in October. On the other hand, Mayfield will be playing with a chip on his shoulder. After getting dumped by the Browns last offseason in a trade that sent him to Carolina, Mayfield is going to want to prove that he can still be a starting quarterback in this league, something that he showed during his short stint with the Rams in 2022 that came after the Panthers cut him.

As for Brady, Monos said another reason that Mayfield could be an upgrade over the 46-year-old is because he'll be more difficult to prepare for. The 2022 version of Brady was an easy quarterback for opposing defenses to prep for because they knew he was going to be staying in the pocket at all times.

"You're maxed out with Brady at that point," Monos said. "He was an easy guy to prepare for -- for defenses. He wasn't going anywhere."

Mayfield isn't exactly Mr. Mobile, but he did rush for 89 yards in just 12 games last season. On the other hand, if you're reading this right now, you actually finished with more rushing yards than Brady last season. The seven-time Super Bowl winner actually went NEGATIVE in 2022, rushing for minus-1 yard on 29 carries.

Monos' comments are definitely worth noting because, depsite losing Brady, several Buccaneers players have definitely shown some confidence this offseason.

For instance, Tristan Wirfs has predicted that the team is going to go 12-5. Cornerback Carlton Davis exuded that same confidence during an interview in early July.

"Anybody who feels we've lost Tom -- and lost something -- is going to be in for a rude awakening," Davis said. "A rude awakening. Tom was a great addition for us, but obviously it's a team sport.... We're going to wreck shit. Like, wreck shit. Interceptions. Turnovers. Plays will be made. I will say. Plays. Will. Be. Made."

The guys in the locker room clearly believe that the Buccaneers can be good without Brady and at least one guy outside the locker room (Monos) also believes that.

Before Mayfield can prove that he's an upgrade over Brady though, he still has to win the starting job. The former No. 1 overall pick is in a QB battle with Kyle Trask and that competition is expected to go on for the next few weeks and Mayfield isn't a lock to win the job. Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales recently said that the battle has absolutely "tightened" over the past few days.

We got the first look at what Conor Sheary is going to look like as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday.

Sheary is swapping out his Capitals red for Tampa Bay’s blue after signing a three-year, $6 million deal with the Lightning on the first day of NHL free agency. The Lightning showed off Sheary’s new uniform hanging in his locker room stall on their Instagram.

“Fresh threads for our freshest bolts,” the team captioned the photo.

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Sheary signed with the Lightning after three successful seasons in DC. As a member of the Caps he posted 102 points (48g, 54a) in 206 games. His best season came during the 2021-22 campaign where he recorded 43 points (19g, 24a) in 71 games. He cracked the top five on the team in scoring the past two years and was the only player to feature in all 82 games last season.

Sheary spoke with NHL Network in July about why he chose the move to Tampa Bay. “I think Tampa itself is a desirable place,” Sheary said. “The success that Tampa has had over the last number of years. Playing against them is always difficult it seems. To be on that side of it is going to be good.

“My speed fits in, my game fits in, and hopefully it will be a perfect match. I’ve got to speak with a number of people and I think I know what my game is and I know what my role is. They’ve told me where they think I can fit in and where I can help the team. I’m going to do my best to do that.”

Sheary initially joined the Caps in 2020 on a one-year deal worth $735,000 which is under the current league minimum salary. He impressed enough that season to earn a two-year extension and a raise that doubled his salary to $1.5 million.

The 31-year-old winger noted it was important this time around to try and secure a more long-term, comfortable landing spot for him and his family.

“I can be interested in as many teams as I want but the interest has to be on both sides. I think the term was important to me,” Sheary said. “I got a family now. We don’t want to be moving around as much as I once was able to. To get the three-year deal was super important and I couldn’t be happier to be in Tampa. I think it’s a great spot for me.”

The Lightning are coming off a 2022-23 season that saw them finish third in the NHL’s Atlantic Division and flame out in the first round of the playoffs to the Toronto Maple Leafs. After three straight Stanley Cup Final appearances the prior three years, the Lightning’s spark seemed to dwindle a little.

Sheary is of the faith that the spark can be relit moving forward and that’s another one of the big reasons he chose the move down south.

“I was super fortunate in my career to come in and in my first two years I won the Cup,” Sheary said. “Since then, I haven’t even been close. I’ve missed the playoffs a couple times, first-round exits. To go to a team with [past] success and a team that has a chance was definitely important at this point of my career.

“I’m starting to be more of a veteran guy than a young guy. I know my time is running out a little bit so I wanted to make sure I was in a good spot for a long time and have that chance. I’m just super excited to be in Tampa.”

Sheary, who once more number 43 before he signed with the Caps, is sticking with the number 73 he has donned the past three seasons. 43 was taken in Washington by Tom Wilson and is currently used in Tampa by defenseman Darren Raddysh.

Headline photo: Alan Dobbins/RMNB

One very lucky Post Malone fan left his concert with a kick-ass memento ... as the proud new owner of the rock star's $5K guitar!!!

11-year-old Winter attended Post's Tampa Bay concert Tuesday night, and at the end of the show, he handed over his personal blue guitar ... the same one he jams out with. Oh, and we should mention, he signed it too.

Instagram / @dance.with.brooklyn @Winterskue_dances

Winter's mother, Jenn, tells TMZ ... her kiddo's a massive Post fan, as is her other daughter, Brooklyn. Tampa's show marks the 5th PM show the family has attended. At past shows, Jenn says they've seen Post give away smashed guitars to fans, but nothing like this.

We're told Winter doesn't know how to play the guitar, but the rare gift might be enough to get her into learning. In handing it over, Post made the young girl promise to treat the instrument with respect, and Jenn says that's exactly what they'll do.

Winter plans to put it in a case to display on a wall in her room and will never sell it.

Instagram / @dance.with.brooklyn @Winterskue_dances

Don't worry, Brooklyn didn't walk away empty-handed -- she ended up with Post's sweaty shirt and socks. Not a bad consolation prize!

Instagram / @dance.with.brooklyn @Winterskue_dances

BTW, Post's latest album, "Austin," dropped last Friday ... so there's plenty of new music to jam out to for the rest of his fans. The dude just keeps on giving.